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What if Kozak told me after this game that the Orcas asked me to return? I couldn’t go. It would rip my heart out to leave her now. Yes, even when I don’t know for sure which of us is the father. I couldn’t go. Hell, I wouldn’t be able to play at my best, either. Not while my thoughts would always be down here, with her. Away games will be enough of a challenge.
The final buzzer comes as a relief. Finally, we can stop bleeding out all over the ice and get our shit together. “Not your best effort, fellas.” Coach Kozak heaves a sigh on the way to thelocker room with the rest of us. “But it’s to be expected. Once we iron out the kinks from Ryder’s absence, we’ll get back out there and play to our full potential.”
We’d be playing to our full potential if he hadn’t been stupid enough to let Ryder go. As far as I know, Ash and I are the only ones who know Ryder initiated the trade, so nobody else would hold it against our coach. It’s just one of those things as far as the rest of the team is concerned.
I guess it always will be if there’s any hope of pulling ourselves together and learning to play without Ryder. I wish I’d known how much he added to the team back when he was here with us.
It’s not like I won’t have the chance to tell him. So long as we both love Harlow, we’re sort of stuck with each other. And as far as I’m concerned, that isn’t going to change.
34
HARLOW
“Alright, Harlow. Let’s see how the baby is developing.” Dr. Graves offers one of her warm, friendly smiles as she wheels her chair closer to the table I’m lying on. “Are we learning the baby’s sex today?”
“No. I want it to be a surprise.” Out of the many questions that have popped up over the past six months, that’s one I don’t have to think about as the doctor lifts my shirt a little to squirt gel on my belly. The guys and I are in agreement. We want to wait.
After all, we know what it means to wait. We’ve been waiting for months to touch each other and counting the days until the season’s over. I’ve literally crossed the days off on a calendar in my office, willing time to move faster. But that meant flying through my pregnancy, too. Now there’s one month to go before I’m officially a mom.
And only hours to go before the season’s over. Tonight’s the championship and, unlike last year, the Raptors are one of the two teams who’ve made it all the way. Ryder and I plan on watching the game together. I was sad his team didn’t makethe playoffs, but then I’m not sure I could handle watching the Wolves play against the Raptors. I might have gone into labor in the middle of the game. My nerves are shot as it is.
“Let’s see here…” The doctor touches a few buttons on her keyboard before she begins moving the wand over my belly. “Come on, baby. Let’s see how you’re doing in there.”
I can’t help but smile at the first sight of the image on the screen. There’s my baby. We’ve already been through a lot together, and the real adventure has yet to begin. “Hi, sweetheart,” I whisper as emotion swells in my chest. “I can’t wait to meet you. I’d also like you to stop waking me up to pee in the middle of the night.”
The doctor chuckles. “Sorry, mama. That’s only going to get worse in the final month.”
“Good to know,” I say with a sigh.
“But then I look at it this way, you’re getting ready for the real fun of waking up throughout the night for feeding and changing.”
Good point. Even so, I have to stop myself from blurting out the truth, I won’t be alone when the baby is born. I’m not alone now, though I’ve attended every appointment on my own. I’ve assured the doctor I have a support system in place and the baby’s father is very much involved.
I haven’t given her a name, is all. Nor have I mentioned the other two daddies in the situation. Too many questions, too many awkward explanations. I’d rather wait until the big day to drop that particular bombshell. Since the three of them have every intention of attending the birth, I guess that will be the time.
Oh, the stories that will no doubt spread around the maternity ward that day.
“You’re starting your thirty-sixth week, and everything’s looking perfect.” She captures a few images to print out for me. “I’m very happy with the baby’s size and development. Do you have any questions or concerns you want to share?”
“I don’t think so.” I have to laugh as I sit up—slowly, very slowly, the way I do almost everything anymore now that I’m roughly the size of a small whale. “It felt like this would take forever, but now the days are flying by.”
“Wait until the baby’s here and learning something new every day and growing like a weed.” We schedule an appointment two weeks from now, then I’m on my way home.
After stopping off for donuts. There are certain perks about being pregnant, and having an excuse to eat donuts whenever the baby has a craving is one of them. I’ve been very careful with my nutrition and exercise these past six months, but the excuse to enjoy a treat is always welcome.
“Hello?” I call out once I’ve stepped into the house. The energy here is totally different now that Ash and Soren have essentially moved in. We still haven’t gotten physical, but they’ve slept over more often than not. It’s just as much for their sake as it is mine. I don’t know how many late-night calls and check-in texts I could take.
It’s bad enough there’s a baby jumping on my bladder most of the time.
“Up here!” Ash’s voice floats down from the second floor.
“Give us a minute!” There’s a lot of noise and movement up there after Soren calls out, with the two of them muttering to each other. I can only roll my eyes at their shenanigans. Life is certainly never dull around here. Ryder’s return was the icing on the cake. It was one thing to FaceTime every day and for him to fly back and forth whenever possible, but having him here full-time is a whole other situation.
And I’m loving it. I can’t pretend otherwise.
“Okay! Come up.”
“As long as you’re sure.” Of course, it’s not so simple for me to jog up and down the stairs anymore. Maybe they should’ve given me a head start. “I’ll get there eventually. I hope this wasn’t a time-sensitive reveal.”
